Since “Euphoria” came to an end on Sunday, many fans have been reacting to the tragic finale and how Rue’s family was missing.
After three seasons that were often as gritty as they were heartbreaking, HBO’s “Euphoria” ended Sunday with a tragedy—the death of its protagonist, Rue Bennet.
For years, viewers watched Rue, brought to life through Zendaya’s Emmy Award-winning performance, navigate adolescence in the fictional town of East Highland while battling a devastating addiction. Along the way, audiences also watched the toll that addiction took on those closest to her, particularly her mother, Leslie, and younger sister, Gia. By the third season, the damage had become so severe that Rue’s family had largely gone no contact after years of chaos, fear, betrayal, near overdoses, and broken trust.
Yet despite that reality, many fans have struggled with the way Rue’s story ended. More specifically, they have questioned the absence of Gia, a character whose life was arguably shaped as much by Rue’s addiction as Rue’s own.
“Gia was the Euphoria storyline season 3 needed most,” @vi_sanctitate posted on Threads . “With Rue’s story ending the way it did, Gia’s absence feels even stranger, because she was the one who had to grow up inside everything Rue’s addiction did to their family: the screaming, the fear, the lies, the overdoses, and the constant possibility that her sister might die.”
Another user @aidielou added, “As the little sister of a now-passed addict, I fear we didn’t see enough (any) of Gia this season. like hello! she’s got [the] whole world AND grief on her shoulders now.”
For many viewers, Gia’s absence feels like a missing piece of the story. After all, she spent much of the series living in the shadow of Rue’s addiction. She watched her sister overdose, endured the emotional fallout at home, started experimenting with drugs herself to dissociate, and often found herself forced to grow up far too quickly.
“I wonder how Leslie & Gia would have reacted to Rue’s death. First they lost their husband/father & now their daughter/sister. Both by illness (physical & mental),” @encbeau wrote on X. “That family will need healing. It should have been a scene with Ali & Leslie as the final ending for#euphoria, idc.”
Another user @Naliah_648 added, “I genuinely can’t imagine the guilt they’d feel, the fact we didn’t get to see their reaction or even a funeral scene is beyond disappointing.”
Some fans have even suggested there may be a cultural element to the discomfort. Rue is biracial and was raised by her Black mother, Leslie. In many Black families, death is often marked by a strong communal response, making the lack of a funeral, memorial, or substantial family reckoning feel unusual to some viewers. Others have argued that regardless of race, the death of a young person, particularly one who was deeply loved despite her struggles, would likely have prompted a more visible response from those closest to her.
“Ppl saying Rue didn’t get a funeral bc addicts aren’t celebrated keep forgetting that Rue has a Black mother,” another fan @bammrxse wrote. “And this is what I mean when I say cultural differences, even in addict spaces, look different in this country based on what “type” of American you are. Not saying all Black ppl, but culturally… most Black ppl and Rue would’ve gotten a funeral or a memorial service, at least. Bye.”
At the same time, many viewers see the ending as painfully realistic. Addiction can burn through relationships, erode trust, and leave loved ones emotionally exhausted and deeply traumatized. “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson, who has said Rue was partially inspired by his own experiences with addiction, became emotional during the post-show special while reflecting on her fate.
“People like Rue don’t make it,” he said through tears.
On Threads @thatsso.dakota who agreed they would have liked to see Gia and Leslie being more involved this season, “Would have been cool but also still realistic that Gia probably cut rue out of her life and detached so she didn’t spend her whole life resenting and trying to save rue.”
Ultimately, what the debate reveals is the enduring power of Rue’s character and the conversations “Euphoria” has sparked about addiction, recovery, and what it means to love someone who is struggling.
Many fans still remember the moment when Leslie told Rue that if she had to choose between protecting Gia and continuing to sacrifice everything for Rue’s self-destructive behavior, she would choose Gia. The scene resonated deeply because it captured the difficult realities that families facing addiction often encounter when trying to support someone you love while also protecting yourself and everyone else caught in the fallout.
There are no easy answers. Only a great deal of pain, nuance, and impossible choices.
But Rue, like anyone living with addiction, was always more than her addiction. So much more. She was funny, charismatic, curious, accepting of others, nonjudgmental, complicated, frustrating, loving, and deeply loved in return. That is partly why some viewers wanted more closure surrounding her death. Given how much her friends, family, and sponsor cared for her, many felt her humanity deserved fuller recognition in her final moments.
Closing the loop with Leslie and Gia could have provided that. It could also have served to demonstrate one of the show’s central truths that addiction not only alters the life of the person suffering from it. It permanently changes the lives of those who love them, too.
Gia does appear briefly during Rue’s final overdose sequence, flashing across the screen for only a few seconds before Rue ultimately finds herself in her mother’s arms.
Following the finale, Storm Reid, who portrayed Gia with remarkable sensitivity throughout the series, posted a photo of herself in the studio to her Instagram story, captioned, “Sorry Rue, I’m busy in the stu.”
Perhaps that is the closest thing to closure fans will get. Because, regardless of how much grief Rue’s death leaves behind, life will move forward. Gia would carry those scars forever, but she would eventually continue living. In many ways, that is where the audience is left as well.
Gia’s final substantial storyline actually concluded back in season two, as she sat in the audience during Lexi’s play. After the explosive intervention and Rue’s withdrawal, Gia watched the chaos unfold from the crowd while also witnessing her sister show rare signs of emotional clarity and peace. Like Gia, we have that final memory of the potential and hope to hold onto.
